Soul of a Dragon
by BerserkDragon
Summary: [SEQUEL TO HEART OF A CHIEF] It's been a year since Savage's attack, and Hiccup's life couldn't be better: Astrid is his wife, and soon their first child is going to arrive in the world. But Savage has his mind set on crashing the party. [T for violence]
1. Prologue

**Why hello, hello, and hello again! I know I'm supposed to be writing The Shapeshifter and Sparrows In Love, but I just couldn't wait to start the sequel to Heart of a Chief!**_  
_

**So here's the prologue! Tell me what you think!**

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On an island not too far from Berk, a rugged man walked up a deserted beach. He wasn't that old, and must have only been in his thirties, but anyone could have mistaken him for an old man in the state he was in.

He was wearing torn, blood-stained clothes and wore no shoes, meaning his bare feet were exposed to the cold and damp of the archipelago. His hair was tangled and had bits of seaweed stuck in it, and so had his no longer neat moustache.

After what seemed like hours of painfully making his way up the beach, he finally reached a small village. People stared at him as he dragged his now numb feet to the tavern.

As he swung open the door, the room went quiet. The cheerful villagers who had been laughing and drinking were now silent, and were watching the rugged man make his way to the bar.

"Wow, you look like you need a drink!" laughed a man behind the bar, who obviously worked there.

"I'll take everything," muttered the man, to the confusion of the bartender. A split second later, the man pulled out a rusted dagger from beneath his shirt and stabbed the bartender in the face. Immediately, people were screaming and running out of the bar, but the man blocked a few of them off.

"So long since I've killed..." he mumbled. "So long since I've had blood..."

He closed in on the remaining villagers, now blood-stained dagger in his hand.

"Now, stop where you are!" said one of the men. "Or Hiccup will make sure you get what's coming to you!"

Suddenly, the man stopped advancing. "Hiccup? He's ALIVE?"

Some of the villagers stifled a laugh at this. "Of course he is, he's even starting a fami- ugh!" The rest of the man's words were blocked off by the dagger being shoved down his throat.

"That boy should've stayed dead when he had the chance," muttered the rugged man, wiping his dagger on his shirt. "I'm gonna make sure he regrets surviving my shot!"

And with that, he walked out of the tavern.

Savage was back.

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**SAVAGE IS BACK! O_O**

**Tell me what you think in the reviews, criticism is welcomed! (as long as it's not too rude, thanks!)**


	2. Watching

**Chapter 1 is here! Enjoy! :D**

**And for **a random person **who said **So he comes out of nowhere and starts slaughtering people? Really?  
**Remember that after working with Alvin followed by Dagur and constantly being in second position, never taking charge himself, he's become a bloodthirsty maniac who kills for the fun of it. He takes pleasure in killing people. So if he hasn't killed in a while, yes, he will come out of nowhere and start slaughtering people. Because that's what he loves doing. It's his hobby, in a way xD**

* * *

It was a sunny morning on Berk, and one of the most peaceful since Savage had attacked. Terrible Terrors were singing on the rooftops, seagulls were calling from the shore, but the quiet atmosphere meant no one had properly woken up yet, except for me.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, a smile on my face. I glanced over to my side and smiled even more as I saw Astrid sleeping peacefully, her bump visible from under the covers.

It had been eight months since Gothi had announced that she was pregnant. The gender was unknown, but we didn't really care. As long as the baby was healthy. Astrid had said she wanted the child to grow up a strong warrior, but also an inventor like me.

I kissed her forehead gently and got up, making sure not to wake her. I put on my prosthetic and reached for my shirt. I was about to put it on, but I stopped as I noticed the scar on my chest from where Savage had shot me. A hint of worry came over me as I thought back to last year, but I ignored it and put the shirt on.

I walked outside and looked at the village. My village. It was still in a bit of a state since being burnt to the ground, but it was slowly being rebuilt and was nearly back to normal.

Even though I hadn't believed it at first, I was a good chief. I had proved it not only to my people, but to myself. And no one could convince me otherwise.

* * *

"Johann!" I jumped down on to the deck with Toothless as the trader anchored his ship in place. He turned and beamed, showing his well-kept teeth.

"Ah, Master Hiccup!" he said amiably, pulling me into a hug. "Why, this is my first visit since you've become chief! Ah, dear Stoick shall be missed..."

"Hi, Johann!" We turned round and saw Astrid being helped down on to the boat by Stormfly. "Got any axes I can have a look at?"

"Plenty, plenty!" he replied, pulling her into a smaller hug as he noticed her bump. "And I also have some things a kid would like too, if you're interested!" He gestured to the bump. "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl chieftain?"

"We're happy with either," I said as I put my arm round her, pretty sure I was the happiest man on Berk at that moment.

"Well I congratulate you!" said Johann, wiping away what looked like tears. "As a gift, choose any item and you may have it! I'd give you more, but a trader must trade, am I right?"

"Of course," I said smiling, as more and more villagers started making their way towards the docks to see Johann.

While Astrid was focusing on weapons, Toothless and I rummaged round the armour section, hoping to find something to add to my flight suit. As I looked inside one of the baskets, my heart skipped a beat as I saw something I'd hoped I'd never see again.

"Johann... where did you find this?"

The trader immediately came to our side and looked at what I was holding. Astrid came too, wondering what I'd found. She gasped as she recognised it.

It was Savage's iron helmet.

"That washed up on a beach far from here, Master Hiccup," said Johann. "I couldn't just leave it there, because as you can see, the metalwork is quite outstanding. Would you like it?"

I turned to Astrid, a worried look on my face. She put a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

"Hiccup, don't worry about it. He's gone."

"But is he, though?" I asked out loud. "We never ended up catching him. It's entirely possible that he could come back."

"Who do you speak of?" asked Johann, who had obviously been travelling too much to hear about Savage.

"Savage, Alvin's old right-hand man, now a bloodthirsty maniac who kills for the fun of it and who attacked us last year," I said all in one go, a determined look on my face. I stared down at the mask, and the paranoid part of me made me think it was staring back.

Watching our every move.

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**I hope that was enough of a cliffhanger for you :P**

**Sorry it's so short, I suck at beginnings. It should get more intense as we get further into the story - hopefully.**

**Remember to leave a review telling me what you liked, what you didn't, and any ideas you might have for what will happen next!**

**Laters!**


	3. An Unholy Alliance

**Ugh, it's been so long since I've written anything! Time for a break from drawing! :D**

**Sorry it took so long. I have loads of ideas for the middle of the story, but like I said, I suck at finding beginnings.**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

The next day, I couldn't stop thinking about Savage. Was he back, or was this helmet just his remains? I didn't want to take any chances this time.

I gathered the other dragon riders that night and we all stood in the shadows of the trees outside the house, while Mom was talking about her travels with Johann.

"What's going on?" asked Fishlegs.

"We're going to Savage's island," I replied. "You never know, something might be up. I'm not taking any chances."

"Shouldn't we tell Valka?" asked Snotlout.

"No!" I said hastily. "She might try and stop us. No, this is something we have to do in secrecy."

"Well, I'm up for a night flight!" said Astrid, who had been sitting on a rock next to us, her hand on her bump. She got up with a bit of a struggle, so I rushed to help her. I looked at her worriedly. I didn't want her to wear herself out.

"I'm sorry, milady," I said gently. "But you're eight months in and it could... you know, come early. You need all the rest you can get."

"But you forget something," she said, a smile on her face. "I'm the only one of us who actually knows the way to the island. Remember, when I came to get you, when you had been captured by Savage?"

I sighed. Nothing could stop this woman. "Fine, but be careful."

* * *

We finally arrived at Savage's island a couple of hours later. In fact, it wouldn't be long until dawn broke. But once we got through the mist surrounding it, we could see it had changed. A lot.

Giant ice spikes had sliced through the ground from underneath, and every here and there there was a masked soldier, frozen in place in the ice. The tunnels underneath the island had been thrust from beneath the ground with the force of the blast and parts of walls and doors could also be seen in the ice.

We crouched behind one of the spikes, our dragons doing their best to stay hidden too.

"It's clear what happened here," I whispered, peering over the edge of the spike.

"But didn't the Bewilderbeast die?" asked Tuffnut.

"Not Drago's," said Astrid, still on Stormfly's back for support.

Suddenly, a ship emerged from the mist. It was moving slowly, and it looked like only a single person was steering it. We quickly ducked behind the spike, so as not to be seen. And despite the mist still circling the small ship, we immediately recognised who jumped down from the deck.

Savage.

I clenched my fists. So he was back, after all.

He waded through the partly frozen water and walked up to the centre of the island. He stood there, silently looking round, as if he was waiting for something – or someone.

"Savage, you're finally here..." said a voice not too far from our hiding spot. It was easy to tell who it was.

Seconds after he had called out, the person emerged from one of the giant icicles. A person who also had a taste for revenge – and a missing arm.

"Drago, Drago, Drago! Nice to see you, my good friend!" said Savage, with a hint of malice in his voice. He approached Drago with his arms open, as if he was going to embrace him.

"Do NOT call me friend, Savage," he snapped. "We are merely acquaintances, because that runt beat us both."

"I think they're talking about you," whispered Snotlout from next to me. I elbowed him in the arm, making him shut up.

"I would hardly say beat," said Savage, inspecting his black fingernails. "Just temporarily eliminated from the battle."

Drago grunted in response, and then turned to face Savage. "How did you get here, by the way?"

"When I want something, I take it," replied the maniac, smiling maliciously. "And in this circumstance, I wanted a boat. So a sailor kindly gave it to me – after some convincing, of course." He licked the ends of his fingers and dabbed at a patch of blood on his worn shirt, as if trying to wash it off. But to be honest, I think he was proud of his blood medals. "How about your transport?"

As a response, Drago faced the ocean and let out a tremendous yell, chilling us to our bones. Seconds later, his Bewilderbeast emerged from the depths, smashing everything in its way, including at least a third of the remaining island. Fortunately for us, that third wasn't the third we were hiding in.

Savage scowled. "You already froze my island when you found it. Why smash it as well?"

Drago simply chuckled. "My Bewilderbeast was beaten by the Night Fury, and so is now a weakling when it comes to honour, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need to let off steam. Or rather, ice." As if in response, the Bewilderbeast let off a blizzard of snow from its mouth which made even more giant ice spikes around part of the island, forming a sort of defensive shield.

"And anyway, your island was already in a state, wasn't it?"

Savage looked like he wanted to throw a punch at the man just then, but decided against it. He was one against a man with a metal arm and a Bewilderbeast under his control. Not the best of odds.

What they said next was a mystery, because they walked further away from our hiding spot. Once they were a safe distance away, we all let out deep breaths that we had been keeping in, in case we had been heard.

"So... Drago's with Savage?" asked Eret, fearing what might be on his ex-master's mind.

"That's what it looks like," I said, a ball of anxiety forming in my throat. "Savage, we can just about handle. Drago too. But both working together at the same time? May the Gods help us all..."

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**Ooooooo cliffhangeeerrrrr! xD**

**I try to go slowly in the first chapters, but every time I just can't resist going straight to the action. Hope you don't mind it going so fast ^_^**

**Remember to leave a review letting me know what you liked, what you didn't, and what you think's gonna happen next!**

**Laters!**


	4. Betrayal

**I feel really bad for nearly abandoning The Shapeshifter and Sparrows In Love, but I just feel like I need to finish Soul of a Dragon first :)**

**Here it is: chapter 3!**

**Enjoy! :D**

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We quickly headed back to Berk, our dragons making sure to stay within the mist around the island so we weren't spotted. It was a good thing we were heading back, not only to warn everyone of the danger, but also because Astrid didn't look too well.

I was so desperate to tell Mom about what happened that I jumped off Toothless' back barely before he had even landed. I swung the door open and rushed inside, only to be greeted by a foul smell coming from a pot above the fire and Mom quietly humming to herself. She was obviously cooking.

She jumped and dropped some plates she had in her hands as I entered abruptly.

"Hiccup!" she said as she knelt down and picked up the pieces of broken plates. "Why so rushed?"

"We were at Savage's island, and-"

She stood up and put up her hand as a sign for me to stop, like she would do to a dragon. "You went to Savage's island? Without letting me know?" she said, a serious tone in her voice. "What if you had got into a fight? I know Astrid is an extremely talented warrior, but I don't think she's ready to take on anyone at the moment."

"I'm perfectly fine," said Astrid determinedly, as she made her way through the door and slumped down on a wooden chair. It was obvious that she was wearing herself out. "And even if I wasn't, we found out something pretty important."

Mom lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

"Savage is allies with Drago," I finished for her.

As she heard this name, my mother immediately slammed down the remains of the plates on the floor, causing them to shatter into even smaller pieces. Drago was the only person in the entire world that Mom had hatred for, after what he did to the dragons for so many years.

"Drago is back?" she asked in a vicious whisper, as if her voice was imitating a dragon's. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"He's alive, and the Bewilderbeast is still under his control," I replied nervously, partly scared of her usually calm nature.

She went silent and thought for a second. "We need to get back to that island and see if we can find anything else out," she said, picking up her helmet and heading for the door, but I stopped her. Her anger was taking over the need for logic.

"No, not now. It's broad daylight. We'll wait until it's dark."

* * *

We went back to Savage's island again that night, and part of me wondered if this was going to become a regular thing.

Not all of us had gone, in case we were seen: it was only me, Mom and Eret. Astrid would have come too, but Gothi had warned us that it would come soon, so she had stayed on Berk, just in case.

As our dragons landed behind the same ice spikes as before, we noticed that no one was here. This was our chance to search for something, anything, that could help us find out what Drago and Savage were thinking of.

"Spread out, but stay within earshot," I whispered. "Avoid using any light, in case you're seen. Let your dragon guide you." This last bit was directed at Eret, seen as he was new to dragon riding.

He nodded, then he and Skullcrusher made their way slowly through the fog that was rolling in for the night. Mom and I headed in other directions, letting our dragons navigate through the fog.

After a while of not finding anything unusual, Toothless and I headed towards where Eret and Skullcrusher had gone. Maybe they had found something?

I noticed a shape in the mist up ahead that looked like a human, and part of me wondered why there wasn't Skullcrusher's silhouette too. Maybe they had decided to split up and cover more ground, even though I'd told him not to leave his dragon's side.

I called out quietly. "Eret! Did you find anything?"

No answer.

Toothless and I looked at eachother, confused. I was about to call out again, but the shape ran behind some ice before I had time. Why was he running away from us? Toothless growled warily, rather uncertain of this as well.

"Eret!" I called again, trying to keep my voice low. We walked round the giant ice spike and stopped as we saw something. Something blood-chilling, but also heartbreaking.

In front of us, starting to slowly slide into the thickening fog that seemed to constantly surround the island, was a boat. And inside that boat were three shapes.

Savage, Drago... and Eret.

At first I automatically thought that Eret had somehow been captured, but then I saw that he was standing, a smiling Drago patting his back. Skullcrusher was nowhere to be seen.

Did this mean...

…he'd betrayed us?

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**OOOOOO DEM CLIFFHANGERS THO!**

**You know the drill. Leave a review with what you liked, what you didn't, and what you think will happen next!**


	5. Never Again

**First of all: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! xD**

**Second of all: This is one of the longest chapters so far, yay XD even though it can still be considered short :P**

**Third of all: We get to find out if Eret is genuinely a traitor or not and why! :D**

**ENJOY!**

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Here is Eret's part of the story.

* * *

Eret slowly made his way through the thickening fog, Skullcrusher at his side. All of a sudden, he felt a large weight being thrust into the back of his head, sending him to the floor. He was still conscious, but not awake enough to try and escape. Skullcrusher had been knocked out too, with the help of what smelt like dragon nip.

He felt a rough hand pick him up from the scruff of his neck and carry him to a small boat, which was perfectly hidden in the mist. Someone else was on the boat. Seeing Eret and whoever had captured him, the person jumped down silently from the deck and helped lift both the man and Skullcrusher on to the boat. The Rumblehorn was then covered in some sort of dark grey dragonskin blanket to camouflage him perfectly into the fog surrounding the boat. But Eret was then handed to the second man, who held him upright, as the first man pushed the boat from the beach with an oar, and then starting patting his back for some unknown reason. Poor Eret had no idea what was going on, as his vision and mind were mostly blurred from the hit.

Unfortunately, Hiccup arrived just at that very moment. The fog that was wrapping itself round everything still in sight made seeing extremely difficult, so the young Chief was under the impression that Eret was still perfectly conscious. And that thought would haunt him for a while longer, oblivious to the fact that Eret wasn't actually a traitor.

* * *

What must have been a few hours later, Eret finally woke up. Once his eyes had focused, he saw that he was in a dark ice cave, obviously made by Drago's Bewilderbeast as some sort of temporary base. From the loud crashing surrounding the thick ice walls, Eret figured that they were under the ocean. He also noticed that he was tied to the chair he was sitting in.

"Hello, traitor," growled Drago, appearing from a corner. He smiled crookedly as Eret squirmed in his seat. Savage was also there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and his eyes glinting maniacally.

"Drago, what the-" Eret was about to ask what was going on, but the madman lashed out with his metal arm, cutting across the young man's face.

"QUIET!" Drago bent down and yelled in Eret's face, making the man shrink back in fear.

Drago stood back upright, and starting pacing round Eret's chair. "Do you really think that this is where you belong, Eret?" he snarled. "Berk? Training dragons? You are a trapper by blood, and that is what you shall be for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not."

"This boy worked for you?" asked Savage, obviously unaware of who Eret was.

"He was one of my best trappers..." Drago added noticeable fake sadness into his voice as he spoke. "But then he betrayed me, after I'd paid him and given him a life. But he will still help us."

"Ha!" said Eret. "What makes you think I'm ever going back?"

"I've helped Savage control dragons," said Drago, still pacing round the chair. "But we need more for my soldiers."

"OUR soldiers!" corrected Savage, a scowl on his face. The villain glared back at him.

"Soldiers?" Eret wondered out loud.

"We do not have an army of dragons like before, because my Bewilderbeast is no longer the Alpha, but we still have men. And those men need dragons to ride, so instead of conquering them with instinct, we conquer them with fear, like I did before. And that is why we need you, Eret. How can we control dragons if you haven't trapped any dragons for us to control?"

"So you've mixed both your soldiers together?" asked Eret, ignoring Drago's question for the moment.

"No, we haven't!" snapped Savage, advancing from the corner. "My men are DEAD because of him and his Bewilderbeast! They left me with nothing but the clothes I'm wearing now!"

"He needs to play, doesn't he?"

"I won't help," said the ex-trapper stubbornly, returning to the task at hand. "And you can't make me. That life is way behind me now."

"But you forget about your dear Rumblehorn," Drago chuckled evilly as he presented a tooth from under his dragonskin cape. It still had blood on it. Eret looked in horror at what he was sure was Skullcrusher's. He hadn't known the dragon for very long, but they had a bond, and Eret didn't particularly want him to get hurt. But then again, he didn't particularly want to work for Drago and Savage, either.

"Whether I help you or not, we're both dead anyway," he said, putting on a brave face.

"Not necessarily..." Drago studied his metal arm as he spoke, brushing off the odd bit of dust. "You could get your old job back, and walk away with only a few scratches..."

Eret narrowed his eyes. "How deep would the scratches be, exactly?"

"It depends on how well you work."

The young man sighed. He was torn. He didn't want to work for Drago, but he didn't want Skullcrusher to get hurt. It was obvious that his own mind couldn't figure this out, so he decided to try and think of what Skullcrusher would want him to do.

He wouldn't want him to fight for the wrong side, no matter the consequences.

At this thought, Eret looked up at Drago, a determined look on his face. "I'm never working for the likes of you ever again."

"So be it."

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**SO ERET ISN'T REALLY A TRAITOR, YAY! :D**

**Sorry for those who might be a little disappointed by the fact he's not a traitor, but if I did make him change sides, it would be illogical. I mean, Berk is his home now. He likes it there. Why would he give it up for a shitty job? xP**

**Remember to leave a review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and what you want to see in the next chapter! :D (also let me know of any typos I might of made, it's 10pm where I live and I have school tomorrow, so my brain is scrambled xD)**


	6. The Baby's Coming

**I'M FINALLY BACK FROM THE LAND OF WRITER'S BLOCK, YAAAAAY!**

**Big thanks to cometotheberkside for giving me loads of advice on how to improve my writing! 3**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Once we arrived back at Berk, our dragons landed in the main square, which was only slightly brightened by the dim candlelight coming from a few windows.

The other riders were waiting impatiently for us. At first they didn't notice anything different, but then Ruffnut was the first to see that Eret wasn't with us. She fell down to her knees when I told her what had happened.

"Are you absolutely one hundred percent sure he's a traitor?" she kept asking, as Snotlout and Fishlegs tried to comfort her as best they could. They were sitting on either side of her, both with an arm round her shoulders, partly fighting about who could make her feel better first. But Ruffnut wasn't noticing either of them.

"It was hard to see, but from what was visible, he looked conscious," I said as gently as I could, as Ruffnut was completely distressed.

"But he was so perfect!" she practically wailed, nearly waking up everyone around us.

Suddenly, a different voice was heard, and Gobber came running up to us in a lopsided way because of his wooden leg. He must have figured out we were back from all the noise Ruffnut was making. I noticed that his face expressed some sort of fear, and that made me wonder what had happened since we were gone.

"Hiccup!" he puffed, as he stopped for breath. "Astrid needs you! NOW!"

My heart felt like it skipped a beat, and without another word needing to be said, I started running towards the house, completely forgetting that there was a Night Fury just next to me. I shoved the door open with my elbow and ran up the stairs, nearly falling over in the process. Once I reached the top, I flung open the door and practically fell in the room.

There was Astrid, her face flushed, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, with the lower half of her body covered by a blanket. She was breathing quickly and heavily and her eyes were closed firmly shut.

"Astrid!" I immediately rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. It was burning hot and her palm was moist from sweat. She opened her eyes and looked at me. For a while she said nothing, and then, to my surprise, she said something I never thought I'd hear the fearsome Astrid Hofferson say.

"I'm scared."

I kissed her hand gently and squeezed it reassuringly. "You're gonna be fine," I said, looking her straight in the eyes, even though I hadn't the faintest idea of what childbirth was like. "You're a warrior, a fighter, and that's what our baby's going to be, too."

"But it's coming earlier than unexpected," she practically choked, tears of worry stinging her voice. "What if something goes wrong? What if the baby doesn't make it? What if I don't make it? What if-"

"No, Astrid, no what-ifs." I kissed her hand again and brushed her fringe behind her ear. "Everything is gonna be fine, you'll see."

Just at that moment, Mom walked in, followed by Gobber, who still looked out of breath. "What's happening?" she asked, but when she saw the state Astrid was in, she didn't need an answer. She walked quickly but calmly to the other side of the bed, and took hold of Astrid's other hand.

"Listen to me," she said softly. "I was just as worried as you are now when I was pregnant with Hiccup. He came early too, you know. But he still made it, and so did I. You just have to keep breathing steadily, and keep being strong, like you always are. Nothing is going to go wrong, you'll see."

Glad that someone who had gone through the same situation as she was going through right now had reassured her, Astrid closed her eyes and breathed, and ever so slowly, her breathing slowed down and went back to a normal pace. I sighed with relief as I noticed this.

Suddenly, I felt a soft tapping on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Gothi, who was motioning towards the door with her staff.

"Gothi says it's best if you leave now," said Gobber as delicately as he could, as being delicate wasn't his best skill.

"No, I'm not leaving her!" I said determinedly, gripping Astrid's hand as if she was going to disappear. "Not now, not ever!"

"Hiccup," said Mom in a firm voice. "She's in safe hands. You know that."

I sighed. Mom was right, Astrid was in safe hands. So, after one last kiss on her hand, I left the room and reluctantly headed outside with Gobber. Every two seconds I turned around, not wanting to look away for too long, as I had never wanted to leave the room in the first place.

The rest of the gang were sitting in a circle, their dragons next to them. They looked up when they saw me.

"So?" asked Tuffnut.

"The baby's coming," I replied, sitting down next to Toothless and leaning against his wing. "Mom and Gothi are in there with her."

"Where are you gonna sleep if they have the bedroom?" asked Snotlout. I looked up at the sky and noticed that there were at least another three hours until the sun came up.

"Out here, I guess. I don't want to disturb them, but I don't want to leave them, either. Toothless'll make sure I don't get drenched if it rains, right, bud?" Toothless simply gave a toothy grin, lay his head down on the grass and wrapped his tail around me.

So, as the night went on, one by one the riders said goodnight and returned to their own homes, leaving Toothless and I to sleep with the sky as our roof.

* * *

**Originally there was another bit in this chapter, but I thought that I'd cut that bit out so that it concentrates more on the baby.**

**THE BABY! :D**

**What do you think's gonna happen next?! LET ME KNOW! :D**


	7. Eret's Part of the Story

**Hi, I'm back! XD It's nearly been two weeks since my last update o_O**

**But here it is, chapter 6, and we get to find out how Eret's been coping while he's been gone...**

**ENJOY! :D**

* * *

Ever since being captured, Eret's life had not been easy. He had scars on his arms and on his face from where Drago or Savage had hit him, and his hands were sore from working on catapults and various cannons for their army.

Drago had been planning a war for a few days now, and they were about to cross the Barbaric Sea to get to Berk. The only problem was that they didn't have any boats and that their dragons weren't suitable for flying, and even if they were, the dragons couldn't carry all of the catapults and cannons.

After standing around the shoreline for a few minutes wondering how they were going to cross the sea, Drago picked up his staff and started swinging it around his head, yelling his signature yell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, and Eret wondered how he hadn't lost his voice yet. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Immediately, the Bewilderbeast, who had been standing behind the army, walked slowly closer to the shoreline, crushing a few cannons and catapults and even a few men. The huge beast had a peculiar yet angry look on his face, as if he knew he was about to face the Night Fury that had beaten and humiliated him.

As the dragon came closer to Drago, the man stopped screaming, and pointed his staff at the raging sea in front of them. The Bewilderbeast understood.

It reared up on its back legs and, after a taking a large breath, spat out countless shards of ice at the water, causing it to freeze instantly. The wave of ice continued as far as the eye could see, giving the army a path to walk on.

"WALK!" Drago yelled at the soldiers, and they immediately picked up ropes that were attached to the weapons and starting making their way across the ice. Occasionally it cracked, and the men froze in fear of it breaking, but nothing happened.

The Bewilderbeast, who knew that his weight would be too much for the ice path, walked back and dived into the ocean where it was still liquid. The size of the beast caused a gigantic splash, swamping the part of the island they were on and washing away some of the weaponry. After a few seconds, the dark silhouette of the dragon could be seen swimming beneath them, its tusk resembling a drill slicing the water. Eret wondered just how deep the water was if a full-grown Bewilderbeast could comfortably swim in it.

"WAAAAAAALK!" Drago yelled again, and Savage cracked a whip from nearby, causing a few men to cry out in pain. Eret hastily started pulling the catapult his rope was attached to as fast as he could, as he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that whip.

It was a very slow walk. About a third of the soldiers, who must have been ones that had been working for Drago for a while, didn't have to drag any weapons along. They walked on either side of the army, several of them holding whips of their own to keep the other men in line.

The dragons, who were each chained and muzzled so that they could walk but not fly away, were assisting in dragging the weaponry across the ice. A few were wearing iron armour and, just like the soldiers with whips, were keeping the others in line. Eret looked around and sadly spotted Skullcrusher not too far away from him. The poor dragon was as scarred as his rider, if not more.

From beneath them, the Bewilderbeast was slowly swimming just ahead of them, as if leading the way. His remaining tusk knocked against the ice as he swam, causing the ground beneath the army's feet to shake, which made the men a little nervous. It was a regular cycle: every few seconds, the tusk would bang against the ice again, and again, and again, until one Hobblegrunt couldn't take it anymore. The constant knocking and shaking of the ice had driven the poor creature insane.

It started screeching and roaring wildly, swinging its head from side to side as if to rid it of the noise. It ripped the muzzle off its snout in its frenzy, sending the now deformed metal plate sliding across the ice and started madly shooting fire in all directions, ignorant of the fact the ice around it was starting to melt because of it. Most of the men stepped back to avoid being hit by the fire, but some were hit and sent to the ground.

"GET THAT DRAGON UNDER CONTROL!" shouted Savage, cracking his whip again. Immediately a couple of men dropped their ropes and tried to hold the Hobblegrunt in place, but it was moving too much for them to get a hold of it.

Drago turned around to see what all the commotion was. A look of frustration formed on his face as he saw the distressed dragon, and he marched angrily from the front row towards it.

At first he was going to scream to try and take control of the Hobblegrunt, but he smiled as he thought of a better solution, that would serve as an example to any other dragon that tried to escape, whether it was voluntary or not.

Drago lashed out with his metal arm, sending the dragon to the ground. It lay there for a few seconds, partly unconscious, but then slowly starting getting up again. But Drago didn't give it the chance to.

With one big blow of his staff, he broke the ice around the Hobblegrunt, sending it plunging into the icy depths below. The chains wrapped around its wings weighed it down, and this made it unable to swim back upwards again. For a while, the poor dragon's screams could be heard bubbling to the surface, but then, silence.

Drago simply smiled and walked back to the front line, yelling out to the others: "AND MAY THAT SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE TO ANYONE WHO TRIES TO ESCAPE!"

Unfortunately, before hearing Drago's warning, Eret had done something which was, from that second, very, very stupid.

During the distraction that the Hobblegrunt had involuntarily given him, Eret had run over to Skullcrusher, and the Rumblehorn was extremely grateful to see his rider.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of this!" he said reassuringly, pulling at the chains around the dragon's wings at quietly and discretely as possible. But Savage happened to be walking by just at that second.

"YOU!" he yelled angrily, cracking his whip against Eret's back, causing a slight shade of red to seep through his shirt, and sending him to the ground. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT DRAGO JUST SAID?!"

"What's going on, Savage?" asked Drago, as he made his way towards them.

"He was trying to set the Rumblehorn go!" Savage replied angrily, cracking his whip at both the dragon and the rider, making them both cry out in pain.

"Oh was he?" Drago chuckled. He knelt down and looked Eret in the eyes. "Trying to let your dear Rumblehorn go, were you? Trying to let Hiccup know you're not a traitor, were you? Don't worry, boy, the Rumblehorn shall be released. But it shall be a message from me that your Chief will receive."

Eret looked up, confused. Drago's mouth twisted into a cruel smile and he grabbed Skullcrusher by the horn, roughly taking him out of his rider's sight, so that the young man didn't know what message he was going to send.

* * *

**What message is Drago sending?! Dundundun...**

**I've already planned out chapter 7 in advance so it will be up sooner! :D**

**Remember to leave a review and let me know what you liked and what you didn't! :D**


	8. How About A War?

**Wow, this is one of the quickest updates I've done XD**

**And also one of the longest! :D Still quite short compared to what you usually get in fanfics, but compared to other chapters in this story, it's a bit longer xD**

**ENJOY! :D**

* * *

Two hours later, I woke up, the sun blinding me momentarily. I had slept outside the house with Toothless' wing as shelter, and because it had already been the early hours of the morning when I went to sleep, merely two hours later the sun had come up.

I could still hear cries and voices from inside the house. I desperately wanted to see how Astrid was doing; I _needed _to know if she was okay, but I knew I couldn't disturb them. All I could do was sit and wait, as labour could last for hours.

I leaned back against Toothless' sleeping body and closed my eyes again, hoping to get another few moments of rest. I had barely slept for the past few days, as we had been doing so much night flying, and I needed to run the village as well. Mulch needed to find some sheep that had gone missing, part of Gothi's house had fallen apart...

But just as my eyelids shut, I felt Toothless lift his head and heard a thud just next to me, like something had landed. I opened my eyes and jumped as I found myself face-to-face with a Rumblehorn.

But not just any Rumblehorn: it was Skullcrusher.

"Skullcrusher?!" I exclaimed, standing up and brushing some dirt off my clothes. "What are you doing here? Where's Eret?"

As if in response, the dragon rubbed its nose against me, and to my horror I noticed that he had scars littering his body, dried blood stained his scales, and it looked like a couple of his claws were missing. I immediately wrapped my arms around him.

"It's okay, you're safe now," I said comfortingly, as Toothless rubbed his face against the Rumblehorn's side as if he was saying the same thing.

_So does that mean Eret isn't a traitor?_ I thought to myself.

As this question spun 'round and 'round in my mind, I noticed a bit of paper tied extremely tight around Skullcrusher's leg, leaving a red mark circling it. I gently removed what seemed like metallic rope and opened up the letter.

_"Time to talk face-to-face. No Night Fury. Your ridiculously named island Itchy Armpit. Now. - Drago"_

I clenched my fists around the edges of the paper as I read it, partly ripping the corners off. Drago had obviously taken Savage's technique of tying messages to suffering animals.

I stuffed the bit of paper inside my armour and climbed up onto Skullcrusher's back. Toothless growled warily, not sure that this was a good idea at all.

"It's okay, bud," I said reassuringly, resting my hand on his nose. "I'll be fine."

* * *

A few minutes later, we landed on Itchy Armpit. I swung my legs around and slid off Skulcrusher's back, looking around cautiously, in case Drago was going to pull any tricks like Savage had done before. I rested my hand on Inferno, my thumb tracing around the swirling designs on the metalwork, just in case it would be needed.

All of a sudden, Drago emerged from behind a rock, like a dark shadow. He looked taller and larger than before, if that was possible, but his dragonskin cape was still long enough to cover his whole back. He had probably killed another dragon to make it fit. I gripped Inferno even more tightly.

"Hello, Drago," I said through gritted teeth, trying to keep the anger I felt out of my voice, but failing.

"Hello Hiccup," the man said smoothly, making his way slowly towards me. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It's a shame it couldn't have been longer."

Drago simply chuckled. "I just couldn't wait to see you again, O Great Dragon Master."

I ground my fists up into balls, my nails digging into my palms, my knuckles turning white. "What do you want, Drago? Why are you back? Weren't you satisfied with being defeated the first time?"

"Awfully determined for a runt, aren't you?" The man smiled viciously and pretended to study his metal arm, but then he fixed his look directly at me. "What I want? I want revenge. And so does Savage. So it's only logical that we become allies, isn't it?" His gaze went back to his arm. "You might have beaten us both one by one, but even with that you struggled. So how will you cope with us both at the same time?"

This was a question I wish I knew the answer to. "I don't know," I said truthfully. "But I swear to Odin that I'll find a way, so why don't you just give up?"

Drago laughed again. "You know that I can't do that, Hiccup. It's not that easy to get rid of me," he sneered.

"I figured that by now."

The man snarled at my quick response and grabbed me by the neck with his real hand. "Watch your tongue, boy," he said threateningly. "You might get it cut off."

Quick as lightning, I pulled Inferno out of its strap, set it on fire and made a light cut on Drago's hand, making him let me go immediately. "Watch your hand," I replied, equally as threatening. "You might lose that one as well." Usually, I wouldn't have spoken up like that, but the fact that he might get close to even _touching _my future child drove my anger to the surface.

Drago clutched his hand with his metal one in pain. It had only been a light cut, but it was bleeding badly and the edges were burnt because of Inferno's flame. Despite this, his mouth still formed a crooked smile and his eyes still glinted with the same maliciousness as ever. Because his prosthetic arm was made of metal, it was letting most the blood drip on the grass, so he wiped it on his cape instead.

"I've had enough of these little fights," he growled, inspecting his hand once he had wiped off the blood. "Time for a proper war. What do you think?"

I was slightly taken aback at this, as he had said it so calmly that he could have been saying anything but that.

Part of me wanted to fight, to protect my people, to protect my island. I just wanted all of this to end as quickly as possible. But then again, declaring war could mean Berk's downfall, and soon I would have a son or daughter to keep safe. I didn't want to put Astrid or our child in any more danger than they were already in.

I had to consider the consequences. If I accepted his demand of war, it could end all of this suffering, but it might not be the Hooligans that came out victorious. If I denied, I might be able to avoid more deaths, but Drago and Savage would probably attack anyway, and we'd be less prepared than we could have been.

When I thought about it, I realised that I didn't actually have any choice.

"Fine," I said determinedly. "Name a time and place."

Drago smiled maliciously. "Tomorrow, when the sun is at its highest. Skullcrusher will show you where to go."

"Tomorrow?!" I exclaimed. "That's way too soon! We'll never be ready by then!"

"Then that's your problem, not mine," Drago replied simply. And with that, he headed into the trees of Itchy Armpit. A few seconds later a dragon could be heard flying away, leaving Skullcrusher and I to realise what just happened.

War was coming.

* * *

**Suspense, suspense, suspense...**

**I get the feeling it's mostly been about war in these chapters, so chapter 8's gonna be a bit more positive :D Can you guess?**

**You know the drill: Remember to leave a review tell me what you liked, what you think should improve, etc! :D**

**Another big thanks to cometotheberkside for her amazing proof-reading! :D**


	9. Long Live the Heir

**Chapter 8 has finally arrived! :D Another big thanks to cometotheberkside for proof-reading it! ^_^**

**It's quite short, but sweet *-***

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Skullcrusher and I arrived back at Berk, the sun was just starting to show itself from behind the big cliffs of the island, silhouetting the rocks and lighting up the wooden houses of the village. It was still quite dark, but the villagers had started to wake up, and some were even outside carrying nets down to the beach to do some early fishing.

We landed just outside the house and Toothless looked up as he saw us. He looked rather anxious yet excited at the same time, and was fidgeting all over.

"What's up, bud?" I asked him. I climbed down from Skullcrusher and scratched his head.

He made a crooning noise and nudged me towards the door. I was about to ask what was going on, but a sudden noise answered my question. A noise that sent a wave of lightning through my body and made my heart speed up. A noise that I had feared I wouldn't hear at all.

A baby crying.

I quickly swung the door open and ran up the stairs to find Gobber standing at the bedroom door. He looked at me and smiled.

"Remember to take it easy," he said in a low voice, giving me a pat on the back. "He's got a healthy pair of lungs, but he's a wee thing."

_He..._ I thought to myself. _I have a son..._

I smiled back at him a bit shakily and, with a deep breath, opened the door.

In the corner of the room was Gothi, sitting quietly with her staff in her hand. She gave me a small nod as I walked in the room, as if to say it was fine for me to come in. I also noticed Mom and Phlegma, Astrid's mother, sitting on one side of the bed. But it was what was on the bed that my eyes were drawn towards.

There, sitting peacefully with her back leaning against the wooden bed frame, was Astrid. Her face was slightly flushed and her fringe was moist from sweat, but she had a large smile on her face. She was holding a bundle of fur, barely as big as a curled up Terrible Terror, in her arms.

The world froze. All my mind focused on was them. Astrid and my son. My family.

I made my way slowly towards the bed, tears of happiness and relief welling up in my eyes. Astrid finally noticed I was there and turned her attention to me. Her eyes were red and her cheeks had slight lines running down them; she had obviously been crying, hopefully from joy.

"He's beautiful," she said, practically in a whisper. She looked back down at the baby boy in her arms and started stroking the small tufts of hair on his head. To my surprise, they were neither blonde nor brown. They were bright red.

Just like Dad.

I sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, not wanting to disturb the newborn, who had now drifted off to sleep in his mother's arms.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked, looking back at me.

"Are... are you sure?" I said nervously. "I mean, what if I drop him or hurt him or-"

I stopped talking as she gently handed the child over to me, not letting me finish. I quickly hurried to support his surprisingly heavy head as softly as I could. Tears made my eyesight blurred so I quickly blinked them away, wanting to properly see what my son looked like.

His face was round and pink, which was no surprise, and he had a funny little nose that looked like a button, but for some reason it looked just right. His eyes were closed so I couldn't see what colour they were.

But, just at that moment, the newborn gave a small yawn, stretched his tiny arms and, ever so slowly, opened his previously scrunched up eyes, obviously woken up by the movement. I couldn't help but gasp as I saw what colour they were.

A dark, deep yet colourful and vivid green.

Just like Dad's...

Tears starting brimming my eyes again, and I didn't bother to blink them away.

My son was the spitting image of Dad.

Astrid placed a soft hand on my shoulder as she realised why I was crying. "I don't know if you'd want to, because it might be a painful reminder, but..." She paused. "I was thinking of naming him after your dad... What do you think?"

I turned my gaze away from our child, who was now lifting up his arms to try and reach my face, and smiled at her. "Yeah," I said, tears nearly choking me. "Stoick's a good name." I looked back down at the baby. "Our little Stoick."

As if he understood what I'd said, Little Stoick made a sort of happy gurgle and wriggled around in his furs. I lowered my face and let him grab my nose, smiling uncontrollably.

Our little Stoick.

* * *

**SO MANY BAHBY FEELS!**

**I tried to grasp the nervousness of a man becoming a father for the first time. Did I do well?**

**Remember to leave a review and let me know what you think :)**


	10. The War Begins

**I feel like it's been AGES since my last update xD But, finally, here it is :D**

**THE WAR BEGIIIIIIIIINS!**

* * *

A couple of hours after Little Stoick's birth, we had downstairs and were now sitting around the large wooden table in the centre of the room. Phlegma and Gobber had returned to their homes, and I had just finished telling Astrid and Mom about what happened with Drago a few hours before.

"Why did you agree?!" Astrid exclaimed, holding our son in her arms. Her sudden outburst startled him, so she quickly hushed him back to sleep again.

"I didn't have any choice," I answered. "It was war or get attacked anyway."

"And this is tomorrow?" asked Mom, who had been sitting quietly at one end of the table. I nodded in reply.

"We'll never have enough time!" worried Astrid. Childbirth had obviously shaken her a little.

"No, we won't." Despite having said this, Mom got up calmly from her chair and picked up her staff, that was leaning against the wall. "But we can try." She looked over at me and smiled reassuringly. "There's no time to lose."

* * *

We had about thirty hours to get ready for the battle the day after, so indeed, we had no time to lose. Everyone had a job to do.

The villagers of Berk were already tough and talented warriors, but Astrid, Snotlout and the twins still spent hours giving them extra training and teaching them sword-fighting techniques Astrid had either invented or discovered. Although, Astrid mainly sat and gave pointers to the group, instead of moving around.

Mom was simultaneously taking care of Little Stoick and helping those without dragons find one of their own, which left Gobber and I to work in the forge, making as many weapons as we could. Fortunately we had some extra from the Savage incident, but we still needed a lot more.

The preparations continued through half the night, leaving everyone just enough time to get some rest before the battle. Fish were caught, food was stored and dragons were well fed to make sure as little as possible could go wrong.

An hour before midday, we made sure that everyone was ready.

"Lead the way, Skullcrusher," I said to the Rumblehorn, and he immediately took flight towards the south, which was the direction Savage's island was. Everyone quickly mounted their dragons and followed him.

The flight was quiet, with only the flapping of the dragons' wings to break the silence. It was understandable: Drago and Savage were a nasty combo to be fighting against.

Despite me begging her to stay on Berk, Astrid had come as well, with Little Stoick strapped to her chest in a leather pouch lined with fur to keep him warm. She had said that fighting was in her blood, and she couldn't sit around while a war was being fought. She'd feel useless. But the thing that struck me the most was her saying:

"I don't want my son to become fatherless."

This was something I could relate to.

So she had promised to stay near the back and attack from the air, and Mom, seeing that there was no chance of her backing down, had assured me she'd keep them safe. Reluctantly I'd given in.

As Skullcrusher headed south, I had at first thought we were going to Savage's island. But as we arrived there, the Rumblehorn flew to the left of it.

"Where are we going?" I asked out loud, even though he couldn't answer me.

As I asked this, we noticed something in the distance. The ocean – but not as we were used to seeing it as.

Frozen.

From a certain point, it looked like the ocean had completely frozen over, leaving a thick ice platform that could easily take the weight of an army. I gulped, not entirely confident that it would take the weight of two.

Skullcrusher finally landed and, to my surprise, stayed with us. He had obviously seized the chance to escape Drago's tyranny while he could.

Quite a distance away but close enough to be visible, we could see a line of people. Amongst them here and there were a few dragons. Some of them were noticeably dressed in iron armour, due to the reflections that the sun was sending back at us. But strangely, the Bewilderbeast was nowhere to be seen. This made me suspicious.

I quickly analysed the terrain around us. It was practically flat, with a few large shards here and there, which could be useful for shelter. It looked like we were a long way away from land, which meant that if the ice was to break, most of Drago's soldiers wouldn't be able to escape. On the contrary for us, everyone on our side had dragons.

Only a few more minutes until it was at its highest point.

"DO YOU WISH TO SURRENDER?" a voice yelled from their side. It wasn't as clear, because it was so far away, but I figured it must be Savage's. Drago's voice was much more distinct, and Savage was second in command, so it had to be him.

I looked over at Astrid, seeking her advice. I didn't want to put her or the baby in any danger.

But instead of what I was expecting, she gave me a confident nod and a smile, as a true Hofferson would.

"NO CHANCE!" I yelled back.

"VERY WELL."

Mere moments before the sun was in its place.

Axes were gripped, swords were held, shields were strapped to backs and saddles were secured on the dragons. I slipped Inferno out of its pocket and got it ready.

On the other side, a figure standing at the front, obviously Drago, lifted his staff.

I counted down in my head. Three, two, one...

"CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

* * *

**OK, so, you might be wondering "WHY IS ASTRID ON THE BATTLEFIELD?! SHE HAS A BABY, FOR THOR'S SAKE!"**

**And it's true that it doesn't appear logical, due to her current state.**

**But I had to get her on the battlefield somehow for an idea I have for later... MUAHAHAHA!**

**CLIFFHANGERZZZZ! xD**


	11. A Victory for Both Sides

**CHAPTER 10! CHAPTER 10! CHAPTER 10 10 10!**

**I'm sorry it took me longer than usual to write this one xD To be honest, the writing itself didn't actually take that long. I kind of blacked out for a week then suddenly inspiration hit and I wrote it down as fast as I could xD**

**It's a bit messy, and I'm fully aware that it's CRAZY for Astrid to be on the battlefield due to her current state, but she had to be there somehow for something else to happen...**

**Also, this chapter is over 2000 words long! Are you proud of me?! Are you proud of me?! Are ya, are ya, are ya?!**

**Just read it before I can continue talking xD**

* * *

"CHAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

The Hooligans immediately erupted in a deafening war cry: it was like the roaring of a dragon, and was meant to chill the enemy to the bone.

Still yelling, we charged.

With Toothless and I leading at the front, our huge wave of dragons was rather impressive. I was half standing on his back as he was baring his teeth, a faint glow of blue starting to become visible on his head and down his spine, as if he was getting his power ready. My helmet was set firmly on my head and a few seconds after setting off, Inferno was blazing in my grip.

Behind me were Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins, each with a line of their species of dragon following them. Astrid and Mom were a little further away for safety.

And then, in one big but still organized hoard, were the rest of the Berkians. Each dragon was showing their teeth, snarling and roaring as we charged forward, and each rider was wielding a weapon of some sort, and had a shield strapped to their back.

But, despite our vast army of dragons, we weren't flying. Not for the moment.

Drago's army had also set off, but a little less enthusiastically. Most of his soldiers were armoured, and all of them were equipped with a weapon and were ready for battle, but as most of them had been forced into his army against their will, they weren't willing to risk their lives for their side as much as we were.

Even though Drago owned a few dragons as well, none of them were flying either. From the way their wings were suspended above them it was obvious that they had been chained to avoid escape, but it was visible that their mouths were left free to open so that they could shoot the enemy.

Another disadvantage that Drago had was the fact that human feet couldn't grip as well on the ice as dragon claws could, so they were moving a lot slower than they would have usually. Also, his Bewilderbeast was still nowhere to be seen. Part of me was relieved at this, but another part of me was suspicious.

As each line approached each other, the faces of the opponents became visible and it was clear that there was a look of confusion mixed with fury on Drago's face. Why were our dragons running and not flying?

He was about to find out.

Just as our armies were about to collide, I yelled the command we had discussed: "UP!"

As soon as I yelled this, each line of our army except the last couple soared upwards one by one as they were about to hit Drago's. The force of dragon wing after dragon wing sent most of his front line to the ground, and the slipperiness of the ice helped us out even more with this. Even Drago himself was pushed back by each blow of air sent towards him. The last couple of lines stayed on the ground so that we could fight from both levels.

While the fighting had already begun below us, we quickly carried out our tactic. I hurriedly glanced around me to make sure Astrid and Mom were at a safe distance, and sighed with relief as I saw that they were.

"DIVE!" I yelled, and our dragons immediately separated into their species groups and dived towards Drago's army. As there were no other Night Furies, Toothless and I were going to stay at the front until later on.

Each group of dragons had a job to do: the Hideous Zipplebacks and the Deadly Nadders would take care of the soldiers, a couple of them heading to ground level to get closer. The Gronckles and the Monstrous Nightmares would blast at any artillery they could see, trying not to get shot down by them in the process. The Hobblegrunts and any other species of dragon were going to swoop down and free Drago's dragons, and hopefully as we had helped them they would side with us.

Despite the fact that this tactic could go wrong in quite a few ways, it seemed to be working pretty well. Everyone knew what they had to do, and everyone was succeeding. As we didn't have a particular group, Toothless and I darted this way and that, shooting at catapults and cannons, but making sure not to use up his shot limit too quickly. The fact that he was the Alpha had noticeably increased this limit by an unknown amount, but there was a limit nonetheless.

Drago was roaring with fury as he stood back up again, and was so angry that no comprehensible words were coming from his mouth, so Savage took control.

"SHOOT THEM DOWN!" he yelled. "SHOOT THEM ALL DOWN!"

Alas for them, that's what they were trying to do, but whenever a boulder was shot, a Gronckle would fly past, swallow it and shoot it back at them again or a Nightmare would melt it on the spot.

Savage walked up to Drago. "I think it's time," he growled.

Drago nodded and, picking up his staff, started screaming in a way that I wished I would never have to hear again.

This meant only one thing.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" I shouted as loudly as I could.

Before the Hooligans could reply, a deafening roar was heard from beneath us and a particularly angry Bewilderbeast came crashing through the ice, sending huge shards flying in all directions and submerging a large handful of Drago's own soldiers with water in the process.

The ice immediately became a lot more fragile.

The Bewilderbeast tried to climb up on to the frozen surface of the ocean, only to break it even more and send another handful of soldiers to a cold, watery grave. As it was too heavy for the ice and its wings were too worn to fly, it stayed in the water at first, shooting gigantic fragents of ice at everything in sight, enemies and allies alike in its fury.

It wanted its title back.

The huge ice spitter then shot its shards at the frozen platform to make it thicker and, once it thought it was thick enough, climbed up on to it. It cracked here and there but stayed solid.

Once the Bewilderbeast found its feet, it resumed the ice shooting. I noticed a shard flying towards Astrid just as she and Valka were distracted with the battle, so Toothless quickly darted towards them and shot the shard just in time, sending little fragments of ice raining down on the soldiers below.

Now it was time to deal with the Bewilderbeast.

"EVERYONE, GATHER AROUND IT!" I yelled. "TRY TO DISORIENTATE IT!"

Everyone immediately flew towards the huge beast, carefully dodging the ice it was sending in all directions. A few of us were struck down, but the rest still continued on.

We all swarmed around the dragon, each one of us distracting its attention from another. The Bewilderbeast roared furiously as all it could see was blurs flying this way and that, and not each individual dragon.

"Come on, bud," I said to Toothless, patting the side of his head. "Let's deal with this guy once and for all."

He gave a sort of grunt in agreement and charged up a plasma blast, then shot it directly at the Bewilderbeast. The other dragons copied us so it was like the battle two years ago, but this time we had the beast completely surrounded.

Fireball after fireball and plasma blast after plasma blast was shot until nearly every dragon's limit was up.

I could hear Drago yelling with even more fury than before below us. He had thought he was be able to beat us with his ultimate weapon, yet it seemed we once again had the upper hand.

The Bewilderbeast was imitating his roaring, but with even more volume. Eventually his shards became slightly smaller one at a time and it thrashed about on the ice less and less, so it was visible that we were wearing it out. The human fight below seemed to be in our favour as well. I couldn't help but feel that this war would be over and done with soon.

After what seemed like forever, the Bewilderbeast realised that there was no point in fighting any longer. Its title was long gone, and a dragon knows when to admit defeat.

With one final roar, it turned around and dived back into the ocean, causing huge waves to soar upwards and knock quite a few men to the ground.

Drago couldn't believe this. His Bewilderbeast had abandoned the fight.

As its large ominous shadow became smaller and smaller in the water below, Drago's army's morale dropped and a huge cheering was heard from the Hooligans. It seemed like the battle was on pause, as everyone was now either hanging their heads or cheering enthusiastically. Toothless hovered in place and stuck his tongue out happily, and I removed my helmet to take a good look at the battlefield around us.

But within the cheering, Savage's ears picked up a certain sound. A certain sound that made a twisted smile form on his face, and that gave him an idea on how to turn the tables and win the war. A sound that I had been so happy to hear when I had first heard it.

A baby crying.

He turned to look in which direction the crying was coming from, and noticed that Astrid had a rather peculiar fur pouch strapped to her stomach. He grinned evilly and, without asking Drago about it first, called out: "SHOOT DOWN THE BLUE NADDER! THE ONE WITH THE GIRL!"

Immediately the cheering ceased and was replaced with a now more enthusiastic shouting from Drago's army. All eyes were on Astrid and Stormfly.

Drago was rather surprised and angry at Savage's sudden take of control, but as he saw the bundle Astrid was carrying, his mouth also twisted into a crooked smile.

A few arrows whizzed through the air, and the Nadder dodged them quickly and with ease. But a few seconds later several rocks were sent flying towards them, and avoiding the projectiles became harder and harder because of their frequency.

Stormfly quickly started flying in the opposite direction from the boulders, but she could only go so far, as arrows were being shot from each side of her. Mom and I tried to get as close as possible without getting shot either.

Astrid clutched Little Stoick closer to her, trying to calm him, but the fact that she was on the back of a constantly moving Nadder was making this harder than usual. And fact that Stormfly was slowly tiring made the whole thing a lot more worrying.

I looked down at the ground and saw that there were a dozen rocks left to be shot. All of the other dragons were trying to defend Astrid, but a few projectiles were still getting through.

And then, just as there was a slight gap in her protection, I noticed one final catapult getting ready to fire. It seemed like it was perfectly aimed – and Toothless had no shots left.

It fired.

What happened next was all in a split second.

Toothless, knowing that I would never forgive myself if Astrid got hurt, knew that somehow she had to be saved. And because he had no shots left, he did something rather crazy.

Before I could react, he flew at lightning speed towards where the boulder had been shot, and it hit him square in the stomach just as it was about to strike Stormfly. He passed out temporarily because of the hit, and because he was spinning while falling, I fell off his back.

The next thing I knew, I fell into freezing cold water where the Bewilderbeast had broken through the ice, and almost immediately every part of me went numb. I sank deeper and deeper and deeper until finally, I blacked out.

* * *

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed as he landed in the water. This caused Little Stoick to cry even louder, as if he knew that Hiccup was his dad.

Toothless, recovering from the hit of the catapult, was about to dive in and catch him, all of a sudden some bolas flew through the air and struck him, and he was left unable to move.

There was a dead silence throughout both armies.

Each dragon landed and their riders climbed down from their backs. They knelt down and bowed their heads in grief. Stormfly landed as well and Astrid ran to the edge of the water to see if she could spot her husband – but he wasn't there.

"HICCUP!" she screamed again through her tears.

"Oh, he's long gone," said a sinister voice from behind her. She turned round and saw Drago, with a satisfied look on his face. He had lost his Bewilderbeast and most of his men, but in the end, his prize was worth a lot more. Savage was standing beside him, particularly proud of himself, because it was him who had heard Little Stoick crying in the first place.

Valka was on her knees. This was the fourth time she had seen her son be in a death-like situation. The first time was when Toothless had been possessed, second when Drago's Bewilderbeast had frozen him, third when he had been shot by Savage, and now this.

"You MONSTER!" she yelled, and charged towards Drago, only to be hit violently by his metal arm and being sent to the floor.

"Ah, but I didn't do anything, did I?" he said slyly. "It was the Night Fury that threw itself in front of the rock..."

"Don't turn this on Toothless!" Astrid said angrily, her arms still wrapped around Little Stoick, who was still distressed.

Drago's eyes moved towards the baby. "And who is this? I don't think we've been acquainted," he snarled. He took a step forward, and Astrid immediately stepped backwards.

"Don't you dare come near him," she said threateningly.

"If you wish," Drago said simply. "I guess he can starve along with the rest of you."

The Berkians looked at eachother, confused. The mad man chuckled and yelled out to his soldiers. "CHAIN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, THEIR DRAGONS AS WELL!" He turned to Astrid and stared her straight in the eyes menacingly. "Looks like we've got a few more soldiers for the army."

* * *

**Dundundun! What'll happen to Hiccup? What'll happen to Lil Stoick? What'll happen to EVERYONE?!**

**Find out... idk when xD**

**Remember to leave a review with what you liked and what you didn't! :D**


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